1964 Classic, A No. 1 Hit, Named Among Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time - And It Still Rocks
The pioneers of heavy guitar riffing - at least among the first to make a full record of it - were the Kinks, who paved the way for heavy metal and punk rock.
While the band was already iconic, its signature hit You Really Got Me, found its way to No. 36 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time.
"Ray Davies originally wrote You Really Got Me on piano, but by the time the song was done, the Kinks had cooked up a deranged rocker with a distorted guitar sound that transformed the future of human noise forever," Rolling Stone wrote.
"The opening riff is legendary, and Dave Davies' wild, wiry solo brought a whole new kind of chaos in rock. They got that scabrous sound when Dave cut into his amp with his mother's knitting needles. It's no wonder that a little over a decade later, Van Halen chose to put a Californicating version of You Really Got Me on their debut album. It's the place where over-the-top heavy metal thunder was born."
Davies Brothers Disagree on Unique Sound's Genesis
The Davies brothers don't exactly get along, which isn't news to those that have been following the band for the past 60 years.
In fact, they can't even agree on where the unique sound for You Really Got Me came from in the first place. Ray claimed in a 2014 radio interview that he'd created the distortion himself: "We cranked up the amplifier and I stuck a knitting needle in it."
His brother, Dave, responded in a post on Facebook.
"I alone created this sound," he said. "I am just flabbergasted and shocked at the depth of his selfish desire to take credit for everything. I never once claimed songwriting royalties on You Really Got Me, yet this song would not have happened without my guitar sound."
Regardless of who created the sound, it launched the band into superstardom beyond just the United Kingdom, where the song eventually hit No. 1. The Kinks became one of the British Invasion bands to break through in the United States and their iconic track reached all the way to No. 7.
Related: One of the Greatest Drum Solos of All Time Belongs to 1966 Hit - And It Still Hits
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 8:19 PM.